Apparatus for bleaching



mesme June 24, 1930,

4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 8, 1925 L D INI. 5 www .R 4,/\ .ma m. f w T 9N is. AM f l A l l 4H .Us b e* IY 0 a/m/ J v o mowwlo@ 2.71@ :-Ulw-: ,y .1H Y@ i June 24, 1930. T. MccoNNELL.

APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING Filed Dec. 8. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet YBLIA ATTmRpELlSi June 24, 1930, T. MCCONNELL ,756,716

APPARATUS FoR BLEACHING F'iled'Dec. 8, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 24, 1930.

T. MCCONNELL APPARATUS FOR BLEACHING 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 8, 1925 T'TDRIJEUS Patented June 24, y192.0

McoNNELL, TRUsTEEs, HAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS APPARATUS FOR IBLEACHINGI- Application led December The bleaching of cotton in strands orin other form has heretofore been a very long process, taking many hours to carry it through and produce goods in proper condition for the further s-teps in finishing and manufacturing. I have found that this process can be shortened considerably by the use of apparatus, some of i-t devised by Ine and peculiarly arranged in sequence to enable the fibres to be thoroughly treated and delivered in good condition for future use. The apparatus and arrangement which T have devised is shown in its preferred form, more or less diagrammatically, in the drawings, i-n which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of a tank showing the Way in which the material lies in the tank and the means of feeding it therethrough.

F ig. 2 is a plan of the tank shown in Fig. 1.

ig. 3 is a vertical fragmentary section of the entering arm of t-he tank taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 to show the delivery of caustic thereto. v

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line 4:-4 of Fig. l showing the overow from the tank. i

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic assembly view showing the arrangement of the bleaching mechanism, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation showing the various parts in convenient sequence for carrying through the bleaching process.

This apparatus is more particularly adapted for bleaching cotton strands though it has other uses. The strands to be bleached are made into'suitable bundles or coils 1 and a number of these coils are placed upon the turntable 2. This turntable has two uprights 3, one on each side thereof, connected by parallel crossbars 4 at the top. The turntable is mounted on a shaft 5 carried in a bracket 6 and having at its lower end a beveled gear 7 in. mesh with another beveled gear 8 mounted on the end of a power shaft s, 1925. serial No. 74,035.

9. The crossbars 4 are connected by partitions or guides 10, these guides being arranged so as to form guide passages through each of which a strand from one of the several bundles 1 may be passed, thus keeping the several strands separate from each other at that point. By rotating the turntable 2, for example in the direction of the arrow, the strands are twisted together so that they are delivered from this mechanism as a rope a; to the tWo-poWer driven feed rolls 11. Mechanism for this purpose is described in my application No. 747,036 filed contemporaneously herewith.. 110 is a guide roll over which. the rope is carried to a tank 12. This tank contains a hot caustic alkaline solution which is fed' to it through the pipe 13, 14 being a drain pipe provided with a stop cock (not shown). Through this tank the rope is passed slowly for the purpose of allowing it to become saturated more or less with the said alkaline solution, and in practice the rope is kept in this tank only so long as is necessary for this purpose. The tank may be provided with rolls 120 near its bottom tdgether with the 4guide roll 121 around which shaft (not shown) and over a guide roll 152 through a trumpet 16 (not shown in Fig. 6; see Figs. 1 and 5) into the U-shaped lye tank 19. This trumpet 16 is pivoted at 17 to a support (not shown) and has connected thereto a reciprocating rod 18 by which its lower end is reciprocated someso that it may lead what around the pivot 17 the rope a into the caustic alkaline solution tank or kier 1.9

tail'in Fig. 1, and it comprises a U-shaped member 19 having as part of it at its inlet end an extension 20 above the desired normal liquid level on which is mounted a second extension 2l having inlets for the caustic alkaline solution liquor. Its outlet end also has an extension 22. 23 are beams by which this tank is sup orted. It will be understood that the mein er 19 and the extensions 2O and 22 may be inte ral but as shown the construction is simpli ed.

The section 21 of this kier is perforated on opposite sides with small perforations as at 24 and over each perforated portion is a cap 25 which encloses a chamber 26 connected by a ipe 27 and 28 with the lye reservoir 29 whic is provided with means (not shown) for heating the lye to a proper temperature. The reservoir should be located suiliciently above the level of the tank to cause the lye to flow through the perforations 24 under considerable pressure so as to ensure thorough contact by impact with the fibres of the roving or rope a. If necessary, a pump (not shown) may be inserted in pipe 28 to ensure the necessary` pressure. By this means the thorough impregnation of the rope of warps is secured.

30 is an overflow formed preferably by perforations 31 in the Wall of the kier 19 which perforations connect with the chamber 32 formed by a cap 33 connected by a pipe 34 with a mixing tank 35. The kier 19 also has a draw-off pipe 36 leading to the tank' 35. The liquor in tile rank 35, which has been more or less exhausted in cleansing the rope, may be brought up to the proper strength by concentrated liquor from a tank 37 which is connected to tank 35 by the pipe 38. From the tank 35 connection is made with a pump 39 by which the contents of the tank 35, after it has been brought up to the proper strength, may be delivered through the pipe 40 into the tank 29 to be used over again. The pipes leading to and from the several tanks are provided with suitable valves.

An endless slack conveyor belt 41 if desirable may be provided preferably to extend dowii into and through the kier 19 for the purpose of assisting in the movement of the rope of warps a through this member. The rolls 42 over which this conveyor passes are given proper movements to feed the rope slowly through the kier by gearing or in any desired way. This movement should be slow to give roper feed so that the rope may be thoroug ly treated by the liquor. It will be noted that the inner part of the inner roll of each set of rolls 42 is substantially in alinement with the inner surface of a vertical part of an outer wall of a kier, so that said conveyor belt will travel closely adiacenti said outer wall, and Will also, due to the weight of the material resting thereon, travel adjacent the bottom of the kier. This conveyor belt is made preferably of some loosely woven material so that it may engage the rope and not in any wafy revent access of the liquor to all parts o the roving. It

is desirable to use such a conveyor as it engages the ro e and to some extent at least tends to hol its parte by frictional contact from enga in each other or dropping by gravity to t e ttom of the kier. It may not always be necessary. From the kier the rope a is carried to a washing machine 43 of any known character, the purpose of which is to wash out the lye from the rope and also any impurities which it may contain. This washing machine is fed by a pipe 44 and the li uor is withdrawn from it by the pipe 45. t will be understood that these pipes as well as those feeding liquor to and withdrawing it from the saturating may be provided with valves as is usual. From this washing tank the rope a is led to a bleaching kier 46 in all respects like the kier 19. It is preferably fed with the bleaching solution by means such as is shown in connection with kier 19 from a tank 51 connected to the kier 46 by suitable pipe connections 52 and 53 like the ipe connections 27 and 28 to the kier 19, an a tank 47 is provided to which the overflow and the draw-off are carried by the pipe 48 as in the case of the kier 19.

From the tank 46 the rope a ma be washed and then be deposited in a car to taken for drying and finishing as desired.

The kiers above described have proved themselves of great value in this process because the rope is left loose to expose its entire body successively to the lye or other liquid, with the additional feature that the warps are loosely twisted into the rope so that the liquid will penetrate the rope and each fibre will be reached by the liquid.

Moreover the delivery of the liquid into the kier across the path of the rope and in finely divided streams assists materially in this penetration. The passing of the rope through the bleaching system should be sufficiently slow to ensure the effective contact of the liquids with the fibres to perform their several functions.

While this apparatus is especially designed for warp or other threads, it may be used in slightly modified form for treating other textile material by other liquors than a caustic alkaline solution if desired.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a bleaching apparatus, the combination with a U-shaped kier adapted to contain a caustic alkaline solution, of an endless slack conveyor belt of loosely woven material, means for de siting material to be treated and maintaining it adjacent to the outer walls and bottom thereof, and means, comprising two sets of driving rolls, for carrying said belt through said kier.

2. In a bleaching apparatus, the combinalll tion with a U-shaped kier adapted to contain a caustic alkaline solution, of an lendless slack conveyor belt of loosely woven maof said kier.

THOMAS MOCON N ELL. 

